


Carved Into Place

by StoneAndRoses



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Implied Sexual Content, Mild Language, Puzzles, Rare Pairings, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:53:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22679764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StoneAndRoses/pseuds/StoneAndRoses
Summary: Hermione Granger has one of the only “stupid” moments in her life when she realizes she’s been writing off the hints that are supposed to guide her to her soulmate as Hogwarts giving her a preview of the upcoming year. Now she needs to put all the clues together before it’s too late.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Neville Longbottom
Comments: 33
Kudos: 128
Collections: Hermione's Nook RarePair Soulmate Fest





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my take on the soulmate trope: “Each year imprinted on arm/body, whispered in a dream, sent in the mail, etc, is a hint to your soulmate.” Thanks to Hermione’s Nook for the fun prompt to help me reach my 2020 goal of writing and finishing more fics.
> 
> Please pay attention to the dates at the beginning of the chapters as I do jump around a little bit. 
> 
> Thanks to Belisama for helping me flesh out the idea and for all your reviewing. 
> 
> None of these characters belong to me, I just like to put them in weird situations or imagine different endings. I hope you enjoy!

**September 2, 1998**

“I am marking this moment in history. I know something about the magical world that Hermione Granger doesn’t!” exclaimed one very excited Ginevra Weasley.

Looking back on it, Hermione really had been a dimwitted prat. Despite everyone praising her for her love of learning and knowledge this was something Hermione had assumed upon entering the wizarding world. She had done extensive research ahead of her time at Hogwarts and during her revising sessions for classes, but some quirks of Hogwarts she had never questioned. 

_ The morning after her birthday, Hermione woke wondering about the rather sparse dream she had had, seemingly all night. There was a hazy, foggy quality to it at first. No color as far as she could remember. But then as she wandered around, she found a vine beginning to grow out of the ground. The vine continued to grow slowly until it filled the space and she woke.  _

_ How odd, she thought. Maybe the magic of the castle was trying to tell her something. Then she saw it. The inside of her canopy had an intricate vine carved all the way around. It had not been there the day before, or any of the days since she had arrived for that matter.  _

Although the new carving was odd to her, nobody could see it but her as it was on the inside of the canopy. She already stood out for being a muggleborn student and for being a know-it-all. Hermione had quickly learned not to ruffle any feathers. She noticed a few of the other beds had different carvings as well. 

“Wait... “ started Ginny. “You were roommates with Padma and Lavender, and I  _ know _ they would have been all over this. How did you not learn it from them? Didn’t they ask you about your carvings?”

Hermione sighed, filling up her lungs completely to push them out again. You would think she would have been more observant as well. 

“You know I didn’t like Lavender and crew, and she didn’t really care for me either. When I heard “soulmate” this, “made for each other” that, even love magic… well, I… I ignored them. I’d leave the room or shut my curtains.”

“I guess that makes sense…” said the ginger witch, pensively scratching her chin. “But why not do more research?”

“A flaw in my scientific method…” said Hermione. 

Ginny gave her a questioning look. Before she could get her myriad of questions out of her mouth, Hermione explained. 

“Confirmation bias. Meaning, I guessed that Hogwarts was trying to tell me something, maybe about my time at the school. After I didn’t find anything in  _ Hogwarts a History _ I was just looking for signs related to a vine-”

“So when you got caught in devil’s snare, you assumed it was a preview of your year?”

“Right in one.”

“Pity your birthday is at the beginning of the year, that probably exasperated the problem.”

Hermione laughed. Maybe she was impacting her friend’s vocabulary for the better after all. 

“I think so, a sneak peak of the upcoming year just made sense.”

“That means you’ll get another clue soon!!! Do you have any idea who it could be? We’ll have to go over all your clues once you get the last piece. Look at them in a new light.”

Hermione was unsure on how she wanted to move forward. Did she want to take magic’s suggestion on her soul mate? Did she want to pursue a relationship she may not have chosen for herself? Maybe figuring it out would help her make up her mind. 

“Sure Gin. We can go to the Library-”

“No, we’ll meet in the Gryffindor common room. No way am I going to be in the library this early in the year.”

“Fine, we’ll lay it all out in the common room after breakfast the morning after my birthday.”

“Deal.”


	2. Back to Hogwarts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're headed back to Hogwarts, and we have to figure out what all this soulmate nonsense means.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Belisama for all your help :)
> 
> And of course, I don't own any of this and I'm not making any money from it.

**September 1, 1998**

Before she had time to completely look up, Hermione was engulfed in a large hug.

“Hermione Granger, blimey it’s good to see you.”

Combined with the voice, the scent of fresh plants and a must of dirt told her the hug was from one of her oldest friends.

“It’s good to see you too Neville, truly, you are a sight for sore eyes.”

He really was. Hermione Granger was heading back to school, obviously, but she was doing it without her two closest friends. Harry and Ronald had decided, unsurprisingly, to not return to school. They had sat their N.E.W.T.s over the summer, but had already decided on their career paths before the exams. 

Harry was going to be the new seeker for the Wimbourne Wasps. Despite almost getting killed on a regular basis during matches, he had been one of the best seekers of the past decade at Hogwarts. There had allegedly been three offers on the table, and he took the one with the nicest coach. Which she thought was for the best. Not that Hermione followed much quidditch, but she suspected he would be happy with a good support system, and he definitely did not need to be chasing dark wizards. 

Ronald was helping George get the shop back up and running. He would help develop some new pranks as well. In the short time over the summer, Ron had already lined up a location for Hogsmeade, and was scouting a location in Paris. Apparently his mind for chess strategy translated well to business strategy. The Weasley boys were going to be even bigger household names within the year. 

She was sad the boys had decided to avoid another year of Hogwarts. But she understood it. Her commitment to education was the only reason that she was back. There were lots of bad memories at the old castle, and she was desperately trying to keep them from outweighing the comfort of the place. That’s why when Neville walked into her compartment, she was thrilled. 

“How was your summer?” they asked each other at the same time. 

Laughing, he motioned for her to go first. 

“It was… fine. I spent a lot of time helping Ron and Harry cram for exams. Outside of that, I read a lot, went to some museums. Fairly boring. What about you?”

“The same,” he said. “Helped Gran reorganize some things. Visited my parents a lot. Started a garden for Uncle Algie.”

“That’s brilliant. I didn’t know you were coming back, when did you decide? You weren’t on McGonagall’s list early in the summer.”

“Pretty recently… I think I want to go for my Herbology mastery. I pondered Kingsley’s offer for a long while. But I think I’d rather spend time in the dirt with plants, only a quarter of which are trying to kill me. And I didn’t exactly learn a whole lot last year, well at least in terms of school.”

They laughed, but knew that in reality they had both skirted death multiple times. There were points in the last year where they weren’t sure they would make it out intact. 

Ginny Weasley burst into the compartment breaking the sullen-turning atmosphere. 

“First years are all settled boss,” she stated adding a salute for effect. 

Hermione rolled her eyes, “Thanks Gin. I appreciate it.”

“That’s what we’re here for, to follow the whim of one Hermione Granger, Head Girl.”

Hermione rubbed her hands across her face, sighing. She had such a hard time saying “no” to Minerva. And she had a feeling she’d regret it this time. 

“Worried, Hermione?” asked Neville chuckling. 

When she looked up to respond, she briefly froze. Even though she had hugged him when he found the compartment, she hadn’t noticed all the changes to his face. He looked like a grown man, and looked very little like the boy she had petrified first year. Not having spent much time around him in the last year or two she realized the image of Neville in her brain did not match with reality. 

She shook her head and responded, “No… but I really don’t need the added stress. It was just hard to turn down.”

“You’ll be brilliant,” he said with a soft smile. He then reached into his bag, pulling out a package, and handed it to her. “I think this’ll help.”

“Neville, you didn’t-”

“Don’t say it Hermione. Harry mentioned in his last letter that you had taken on Head Girl. Honestly, I think you’ll need this more than me.”

Gingerly taking the paper off, she found a clear, glass sphere with gold lining. 

“Is this… Neville, no! This is a sentimental object for you, you can’t just-”

“I can, and I will.”

Ginny was looking on amused but also confused.

“Is that a remembrall?” she asked. 

“It’s not just any remembrall,” said Hermione looking to her other friend. “It’s a remembrall that Neville got during our first year. It’s what Harry caught in front of McGonnigal’s window to cause her to get him on the quidditch team. If anything... one of them should have this if you're not keeping it.”

“Nonsense Hermione... I remember that like it was yesterday,” said Neville wistfully. “The one class I’ve ever beat you in. Just barely though.”

“Sometimes I forget I missed a whole year,” commented Ginny before taking the conversation in another direction. 

Before long they had reached Hogsmeade station and were herding the first years (and honestly the fourth years too) towards the carriages and castle. 

The Great Hall looked the same as it always had, but it was possible that the tables were a little smaller. One sad reminder of the diminished numbers from the war. McGonnigal’s welcome speech emphasized unity and healing together while continuing the legacy of a great learning institution. 

After an extravagant meal, the house elves really had truly outdone themselves, they worked their way to the common rooms. Hermione had a feeling it was because they hadn’t been cooking for anyone since May and they were too excited to dial it back at all.

Walking into the seventh year, plus her, girl’s dormitory she felt at home. And the red headed witch sitting on the bed next to hers was extremely comforting. When she had changed and plopped down onto her bed Ginny passed her a handful of ice mice. 

Following the first crunch of candy, Hermione noticed a large lightning bolt running down the right back leg of Ginny's bed. 

“Lightning…? Did you get struck by lightning during a quidditch game? I feel like I would have remembered that…” she said more to herself than Ginny.

Her friend laughed. “Of course not, that’s for the great chosen one.” 

“Your Hogwarts preview one year was Harry? But you already knew he would be at school…” Hermione was very confused. “Have you had your new one yet? What’s ahead for this year?”

Ginny was staring at her like she had grown five extra limbs. “Preview? What the bloody hell are you talking about Hermione?”

“You know, how you have a dream at the beginning of the year that tells you something of what’s to come and then it ends up on your bed as a reminder…?”

She watched as Ginny’s face continued to contort in confusion, and slowly meld into a look of realization. Her eyes got wide like she was staring directly into the face of the basilisk. “Oh no...no, no, no. Hermione, that’s not how it works.”

“What do you mean that’s not how it works? Of course that’s how it works.” 

“Hermione, the dreams start when you’re little. Didn’t you notice the carvings at the Burrow?”

Hermione thought about it and had a vague idea of what Ginny’s bed looked like. “But I never had any of this when I was younger.”

“I bet…” said Ginny starting and pausing, “I bet it’s because you didn’t know about magic yet, or that you were a witch. I think it might even be linked to living in a magical dwelling.

“Wait, if you’ve been getting these since you were a small child, what are they?”

Ginny slid off her bed, walked over to Hermione’s drawing the curtains shut around them. Casting a quick muffliato, she hunkered down to begin explaining. 

“The dreams happen on your birthday, not the beginning of the school year. The night of your birthday you have a vague dream that’s centered around a particular symbol. That symbol is supposed to act as a clue or hint if you will… that hint, which again is a gentle suggestion, not a hard and fast rule or anything… the clue is to who your magical soulmate is.” Ginny was giving her the look of extreme caution, the one that Hermione normally got from her friends when they thought she wouldn't agree with them. 

“Soulmate?”

“Soulmate.” 

“Ginny that’s rubbish, you’re just making fun of me because I know nothing about wizarding traditions.”

“No it’s true,” insisted Ginny. “You can ask anyone. It’s a clue as to who your best match is. I can’t believe nobody told you that when you started.”

“I guess it’s another thing to add to my list then, well let’s hear more.”

“Nobody really understands how it works. It's one of those ‘this is old magic and we don’t really want to mess with it too much’ scenarios. And like I said before, it’s a suggestion. Some people follow it really closely, like my parents, and some don’t bother with it at all, like Fleur and Bill. That’s part of the reason mum was so upset at the match. According to Bill’s dreams, we think he was supposed to marry one of the Greengrass sisters. Nothing bad will happen to you if you don’t listen, and the dreams stop once you’re married.”

“Wow, well I’ve been wasting time then. I at least want to figure out who it is… wait, why do you look so smug?”

“I am marking this moment in history. I know something about the magical world that Hermione Granger doesn’t!” exclaimed one very excited Ginevra Weasley.


	3. Here Comes the Birthday Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Hermione's birthday which means another dream and time to work through eight years worth of clues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you to Belisama for always being the best. And I don't own any of these characters, I'm not making money, I'm just writing for fun.

**September 19, 1998**

“There she is!”

“Oh my Merlin, have you been waiting for me Neville?” she asked, rushing down the girl’s staircase. She had woken up late on her birthday of all days. In an attempt to look nice, she had also attempted to tame her curls, but that failed mission quickly became a messy top knot. Ginny likely let her sleep since it was her birthday, but now she was just flustered.

“Of course, it is your birthday after all.” He wore his vest and Gryffindor tie with the sleeves of his oxford rolled up. He was carrying his book bag, which looked significantly larger than it should, and a friendly smile. 

As she approached he reached out towards her own bag. “I’ll be taking that,” he said, not inviting any questions. 

“Neville, this is old fashioned-”

“Hermione,” he said with a small sigh, “It’s not old fashioned, I just want to do something nice. Clearly you’re flustered. Just take the bag. I have something for you to hold onto anyways.”

He pulled another wrapped package, in the same paper from the train, this time tied together with a large gold bow. 

“Neville,” she drawled, hoping her look would succeed in dressing him down. “This is becoming a habit that is not necessary.”

“Not necessary?” he said in feigned distress, “It’s your birthday, so you have no right telling me I can’t give you a gift. But I will let you unwrap it before we get to the great hall if it bothers you that much.” A wink sealed her fate and he made towards the portrait hole. 

She rushed to catch up to him, turning what was clearly going to be a book in her hands. It was fairly thick, but small enough to be carried around with you. Likely a very good addition to her perpetually growing library. 

“But Neville, I sent you some pot warmers that I knitted for your birthday this summer, that does not warrant what seems to be a very nice book.”

He laughed as they started down the stairs, “Nonsense, open it. Please, the anticipation of whether you already have it or not is killing me.”

With a wry smile, the curly headed witch gingerly unwrapped her new book. To Neville’s pride, it was a tome that she did not already own. _A Field Guide to the UK’s Magical Plants_ was something she would put to use. She was also probably the only non-herbology specialist who would reference this particular book so frequently. 

Neville had managed to succeed in gift giving where her friends could not. Although she loved Ron and Harry deeply, they got her quills and parchment every year. While it was extremely nice of them, and practical in terms of the school year, it required little thought. She strove to get them something meaningful every year, and she counted her continued friendship with the duo gift enough, but she was incredibly impressed with the wizard in front of her. 

“So…?” Neville questioned. 

“I love it, and no, I don’t already own a copy. Do you use this often?”

“Best field guide there is, in fact-” he continued to regale her all the way to the Great Hall. 

\-------------

Throughout the day Hermione experienced many “Happy Birthday” messages throughout the day, received some sweets from friends, read through a short but sweet owl message from Ron and Harry, and even enjoyed creme brulee (her favorite) from the elves after dinner. 

However Hermione’s day had been a blur. It was all building anticipation for her dream tonight. There was added pressure now that she knew what it meant. It wasn’t just a glimpse of the next few months… well it kind of was, but not how she had viewed it before. 

She knew Ginny would drag her back up to the common room right after breakfast the following morning to discuss it. Ginny had figured out Harry from a young age, so her dreams were no longer exciting. The element of the puzzle had been taken out of it long ago for her. But Hermione’s was all there. 

Her nightly routine took longer, she was subconsciously dragging it out. What if her soulmate was not who she wanted? What if the clues didn’t add up to anything? What if she was too late? What if her soulmate had grown frustrated waiting for her and given up early on? What if she figured it out and nobody was waiting for her? 

Failure in the magical world was literally her boggart. She worked extremely hard to prove herself. Defeating Voldemort likely made that less important, but she was working for justice for all, not just the pureblooded society. The last alternative swimming around in her head was something she would not cope with well. She needed this year to be as free as anxiety as possible, but it was already looking to be a less relaxing environment than would be optimal. This would push it over the edge. 

Although she contemplated staying up all night drinking vats of tea, she figured she would likely be so tired that she would likely hallucinate and the dream would find her anyways. Wrapped in her favorite red plaid pants and one of the boys’ old quidditch jerseys. 

Now that she was all worked up, she was not able to find the hippogriff pastures. Questions about her soulmate were running rampant around in her mind. She settled for going through the laws of magic in reverse order and then reciting arithmancy equations. By the time she reached the weather focused equations she was asleep. 

_Similarly to past birthday dreams, Hermione was walking around in a plan room. She waited for the item to appear. But nothing happened. Maybe she needed to sit. With that a wing back chair appeared and her body reflexively fell into it. As soon as she sat down books began to materialize, piling into her lap and then beside the chair. They were a mix of types and sizes, ages, and everything. The room began to fill with red smoke as she began to think this was the least helpful clue magic could have given her before she woke up._

\-------------

“Well that’s incredibly underwhelming,” declared Ginny the next morning. “Books?” She shook her head and chomped into a cranberry bun. 

“I know, I’m not sure what to do with it… It’s also the foggiest of all of them. I remember everything from the others and have incredibly detailed notes. But this is less clear; literally and figuratively. I don’t remember anything and some kind of colored smoke started filling the dream at the end.”

“Odd, we’re going to need more tea.”

As her friend began brewing a fresh pot, Hermione focused on the large parchment laid out for the two witches to peruse. She also had all of her journals since she was eleven stacked up.

“Let’s start from the beginning then?” asked Ginny as she levitated the pot and two fresh mugs of tea to the table. It was a beautiful Saturday morning and the week before quidditch tryouts, so the common room was empty. They had laid claim to the corner table and figured they would be parked there until lunch. 

“First year I saw growing vines, which I was fairly confident represented the Devil’s Snare at the time.”

“Let’s consider both possibilities. We know it’s not Harry, and we’re fairly certain it’s not… Ron…?”

Hermione’s nose scrunched up. “No, not your brother… no offense.”

“Oh none taken,” said Ginny laughing. “I could’ve told you that already. I think he and Lavender will finally get their heads out of their arses and realize that they were meant to be together finally. But, that’s neither here nor there, the boys were the only ones there with you. All the adults involved in the scheme are diseased, except for Hagrid and McGonnigal, which it’s safe to say… just no.”

“Right,” confirmed Hermione, “Then we need to think about who else knew about the Devil’s Snare.”

Sniggering Ginny admitted, “From what it sounds like, the whole bloody school knew about it. Doesn’t help us narrow it down. Okay, what if it’s just a plant? A vine, growing… Oh! Who did you have Herbology with first year?”

“Hufflepuff I think.”

“Okay, so we’ll make sure that Gryffidor boys your year are on the definitely list, and then we’ll add the Hufflepuff boys to the Strongly Consider list.”

“You know, I don’t think it’s Gryffidnor… It’s not Harry or Ron, and I doubt it’s Dean. Seamus, is…. Well unlikely.”

“Unlikely, or you just don’t want more explosions in your life?” laughed her friend. 

Hermione laughed too, “Maybe both.”

“Okay, let’s move on to second year.”

“Purple crystals. I was in a cave filled with purple crystals.”

“But basically everyone who could afford one at the time bought one…”

Hermione rolled her eyes. Apparently magic thought she was smarter than she thought. “I know. But it was useful at the time…”

“Do you remember anyone specifically buying one in front of you that year?” 

“No.”

“What about third year?”

As the girls worked through years three through five they realized they were similarly difficult. Third year had been a cracked tea cup, clearly a nod to divination… which almost everyone took. Fourth year was a waltzing figure, which again did not narrow it down. Everyone took dancing lessons with their house and basically everyone attended the Yule ball. The magic sparks during fifth year were even less helpful. She was enrolled in a bloody magical school where everyone was learning how to make sparks with their wands. It felt like they were going in circles. 

“Okay, let’s move on. What clues were not vague or could apply to the entirety of the school?”

“Well, in sixth year I saw the DA coin.” 

“Oh, well that gets us somewhere…”

“Yes, but we weren’t really in action that year… So even then I wasn’t really sure what it meant. Other than that I should stick with those people.”

“So it’s definitely someone we know… it’s probably staring us right in the face.”

“Remind me about the seventh year clue?”

“The sword, which again, I took to stand for battle.”

Ginny thought for a second. “Well at least we know that it’s someone on our side… probably.”

“But still… There were so many people at the battle. What if… what if they died during the war Ginny?” Panic began setting in. “What if that’s why this one was less clear.”

Ginny stood and came around to hug her. “Shhhh” she soothed. “It’s going to be alright Hermione. We’ll figure this out.”

Another fresh cup of tea and they continued, because Hermione Granger was not a quitter. And neither was Ginevra Weasley. 

“Wait!” Ginny slapped her hand on the table. “What if… and hear me out… what if the sword was for Gryffindor, not just the battle. But, bloody hell, that would point to my brother…”

“Well… with the red smoke in last night’s dream that… would… make… sense. Oh. My. Merlin.”

It was like a deluminator had been snapped open in her mind. 

“I know who it is! Ginny you’re a genius!”

She snatched her satchel and high tailed it out of the common room. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The big reveal is here!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading along and enjoying this incredibly fluffy story.
> 
> Belisama you are not only the best person to right with, but also the best of friends. Thanks for your help!
> 
> I'd like to flush this idea out into a longer story at some point, but this is what my brain came up with on the short time frame.

Hermione’s brain was running a mile and minute and her feet were struggling to keep up with her. 

How could she have been so stupid? If she looked at it all together, with a particular focus on the last year, it really was quite obvious. Plus, she had known him forever. The more she pictured a future or life with the wizard floating through her memories, the more she thought maybe this magical soulmate thing made sense. 

When she finally reached the greenhouses she ran into number five, the one for advanced students. 

“Neville? Neville are you in here?”

His brown head of hair popped up from behind some bushes. 

“Over here!” he called. 

She wound through the maze of hedges to find Neville in dirty green trousers and a tee shirt. And suddenly she realized she had no plan. She had rushed down here without any idea of what to say. 

“Hey, Hermione, what’s the rush? Something happening in the tower?” he said, his brows knitting together in concern. Ever the friendly Gryffindor, ready to jump into action and help his companions. 

“Um… not quite,” she started slowly. “I… I actually figured something out just now and got so excited to tell you but…”

The concerned expression blossomed into one of delight. He looked beside himself with joy, but also had a hint of a smirk across his mouth. “Ah, I think I know what this is about. Let’s go sit outside.”

Finding a sunny spot on the grass, Hermione conjured a blanket and they sat. She was shaking, nervous to his reaction, but he seemed calm and collected. While she was still searching for the words, Neville smiled and her. 

“Don’t worry Hermione, I know what you want to talk about. This is about the dreams, right?”

Unnaturally shy, Hermione just nodded her head. She still couldn’t bring forth the words that seemed to fit the situation. 

“So you figured it out then? Took you long enough…”

“You knew?!?” She smacked him on the arm.

“Umm... yes?” He looked confused. 

“Why didn’t you say anything?!” 

“Because I didn’t want to pressure you,” he said calmly. “I also… didn’t know how much you knew about it.”

“Neville,” she said with a smile. “That is so sweet. And to clarify… until a couple weeks ago, I didn’t know anything about it.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yes. No need to gloat,” she said smirking. “Ginny’s already done plenty of that. Since my birthday is so early, I thought it was a preview of the school year.”

“Huh, that’s an interesting take.” When she looked over to him and he was taking this so well. That she had no idea. Relief seemed to be the most accurate description.

“Wait… how long have you known about it… about me?”

“Well,” he started with a deep breath, “I actually didn’t have one until the summer before school. Gran thought it was another sign that I was a squib. Is that when you had your first dream?”

“Yes,” she said. 

He nodded, “That makes sense. I guess. Nobody knows that much about it, but to answer your question, I figured it out third year, but confirmed the fourth year. And knowing you, yes, I do have notes and we can compare.”

He reached into his robe pocket and pulled out a folded and well worn piece of paper and handed it over. As she unfolded it, he started talking to her.

“First year I saw  _ Hogwarts a History _ , which made me assume I would find someone at school. That’s part of the reason I was so struck with you on the train. Second year, I saw a potion’s cauldron. Which I assumed meant was related to class and then you started talking to me more and helping me. But that wasn’t enough, and to be honest, I wasn’t thinking about it too much that year. The next was the kicker, I saw a time turner. Which to be honest, freaked me out.”

She giggled, “Did you think you’d be getting someone from the future.”

“A bit, yeah. It was a little weird. I didn’t really know what it was at first. I had to research it at the library. But at the end of the year I overheard Ron badgering Harry about something that he couldn’t explain in the hospital. And it sounded a whole lot to me like a time turner.”

Hermione shook her head. Of course Ron had said something. “Neville, it astounds me how much people underestimate you.”

“Well… I still wasn’t sure but thought that you were my best candidate, and so I-”

“You asked me to the Yule Ball. Neville, salazar, I am so sorry. You should have said something!”

He laughed, “You know how timid I still was then, Hermione. I wasn’t going to pressure you. But after the second task I realized you were definitely the subject of my dreams. I was under water and mermaids were swimming around me. Once I saw the task, I knew. So… I decided to wait. I thought you surely would have figured it out.”

She handed him her list, “Well, even if I had known what I was looking for… these clues were not very specific.”

“True, what was the tipping point?”

“The sword. And last night’s dream.”

He had a huge smile on his face then, “Ah, the hero act was beneficial then,” he laughed. “So did my gift?”

Hermione looked quickly at the piece of parchment. The newest ink clearly showed a book and red smoke.”

“So they matched?”

“Apparently. But I have no idea if it was because I gave you the gifts or if they are supposed to match when you figure it out… again the magic isn’t well researched. There’s no solid explanation. And there’s no reason that this has to be how it goes.”

“Oh,” said Hermione, taken aback. “Does that mean that you don’t want to… pursue this?”

“What? No, oh, no.” The nervous Neville came back at her suggestion. 

“Oh,” apparently that was the only ‘word’ for the situation. 

She realized she had also been disappointed when she had given him an out. Upon reflection, or at least the limited amount of reflection that can be had running around the castle, Neville made sense as an answer to the soulmate puzzle. He was one of her first magical friends and had always been there supporting from the sidelines. 

Hopefully if they were to try to deepen the relationship, the support and feelings would blossom and grow like the greenhouse they were sitting next to. 

“Hermione,” said Neville breaking Hermione out of her daydream. “I really would like to give it a shot. My feelings about it haven’t changed. I think that we could make this work. Hermione, I really like you. Really, really like you.”

“I like you too, Neville,” she said, turning to him and smiling. 

“Can, I…” he said, gaining her stutter back slightly. “Can I kiss you Hermione?”

“Absolutely,” she said. 

Leaning in, Hermione tilted her chin up to meet Neville’s lip in a sweet kiss. The images from all the dreams began running through her mind, with sparks going off all around them. Apparently, she had gotten it right, the magic was working. 

“Did you feel that?” Neville whispered against her lips, pulling back just barely to say something. 

“Absolutely,” she whispered back. 

“I’m glad you finally figured it out, Hermione.”

She kissed him again running her hands through his hair. “Me too Neville, me too.”


End file.
